ICPC invites FMC Owo Medical Director over alleged misappropriation of COVID-19 Funds

ICPC invites FMC Owo Medical Director over alleged misappropriation of COVID-19 Funds

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has invited the Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ahmed Liasu, to appear before it on April 27 in Osogbo to answer questions relating to allegations of misappropriation of funds at the hospital.

According to the letter of invitation by the ICPC, Mr Liasu is expected to report to the office of the agency with relevant documents to defend his actions and that of his management in the execution of projects.

Mr Liasu recently got the nod of the Federal Government for reappointment as the Medical Director of the centre for another four years, despite stiff opposition from medical doctors in the hospital.

He has been facing a litany of allegations from the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) since he assumed office as Acting Medical director in 2015. The government appointed him substantive MD in 2018.

The doctors had accused him of diverting the funds meant to cover the shortfall in their salaries in 2016 to another use.

According to them, the Federal Government had released N280,800,750.00 to cover the salary shortfall but the management of the hospital allegedly diverted the fund.

But Mr Liasu had denied the allegations, saying he properly administered the funds as contained in the relevant financial documents.

“For them to say the money is meant to pay the shortfall of the salaries of the doctors is a lie. The money is for all the workers in the hospital. There is no way the money could be diverted,” he had said.

The invitation

However, in the letter dated April 20, 2022, addressed to the Medical Director and signed by the Resident Anticorruption Commission, Baba Shuaib, the invitation was in continuation of the ongoing investigations of financial issues within the FMC Owo.

“Furtherance to the investigation which the state office of the commission is carrying out on the allegations against the management of the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, in violation of the provisions of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, a list of additional requirements as enclosed in the letter are being requested by the reviewer of the investigation report,” the letter read.

“Pursuant to section 28 of the Act 2000, you are therefore required to appear in the state office at 5, Olu Alabi Way, GRA, Osogbo, at 11.00 hours on 27th April, 2022 with the Head of Finance and Accounts and the attached documents.”

The medical director is also required to come with evidence of how he spent N176,817,307 with approvals and relevant documents, as well as establish the purpose of the COVID-19 intervention funds and beneficiaries of the funds.

The ICPC is also asking him to refer to the approval from FEC, or other authorities and the details of the project executed with amounts, processes of awarding the contracts and the project valuation with pictures.

He will also provide store receipt vouchers for the COVID-19 material distributed and received such as facemasks, Veronica buckets and hand sanitisers

Mr Liasu is also required to show evidence that staff members who contacted COVID-19 were paid for or received free items from the intervention funds, treatment benefits to individuals(identity of such staff members, and what treatment they received).

He would present the salary pay-slips of Resident Doctors from 2017 to 2021.

On allegation of indebtedness, the ICPC expects him to show how much the previous administration owed, and why they are not paying the pharmaceutical suppliers of drugs as and when due.

Opposition

The medical doctors had opposed his reappointment because he was due for retirement and ought to proceed on his terminal leave, having clocked his official retirement age.

The doctors, under the auspices of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, FMC Owo Chapter, also alleged that the visitation panel to the centre was shrouded in secrecy and its activities were not transparent.

The Chairman of the MDCAN at the hospital, Samuel Faturoti, who led the protest, also accused the MD of not providing vital consumables and drugs for the hospital, saying he showed no empathy to health workers, who infected at the COVID-19 Isolation Ward.

But Mr Liasu had consistently defended his reappointment and that it followed due process.

He noted that a six-man panel that was sent to the hospital by the Federal Government met all heads of departments and assessed his performance before recommending him for reappointment.

“It is a political appointment, and that is why the salary I have been collecting for the past four years is on the Consolidated Salary Scale. We will continue to appeal to them, though I know they have ambition,” he said in his response.

“The peace we have been enjoying is paramount and that has brought a lot of development here. The majority of workers are happy about it except the very few people who are saying they are the medical directors in waiting. There is no problem. We will continue to discuss with them and ensure that we do not lose our peace.”

When contacted, the spokesperson for the ICPC, Ogugua Azuka, said he could not discuss the MD’s invitation publicly as it borders on areas of the commission’s operations.

“I cannot confirm the investigations as investigations are not made public while they are ongoing,” she said.

“When they are concluded, the results will be made public.”